Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama's approval rating is back to 50% for the first time in more than eight months, and he currently holds an edge against all the remaining Republican presidential candidates in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups, according to a new national survey.

And a CNN/ORC International Poll released Wednesday also indicates that the GOP's advantage on enthusiasm has been erased, and that the number of Americans who think things are going well in the country is on the rise. Six out of ten say things are going poorly in the country, but four out of ten say things are going well, up 15 points since November.

"Does that mean it's morning in America? It is for Democrats - a solid majority of them now say things are going well in the country. But overall, six in ten still have a gloomy outlook about the state of the country," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Optimism is on the rise among independent voters, with a notable increase among men as well, although a majority of both groups still think things are going poorly."

The rise of Americans who say things are going well appears to be helping the president, whose approval rating now stands at 50%, with 48% saying they disapprove of the job Obama's doing in the White House. The president's approval rating has edged up three points from last month and is up six points from November. The last time Obama's approval rating was at 50% or above was last May, as a result of the killing of Osama bin Laden, and it stayed there for about a month before fading.

"Independents now have a net-positive view of President Obama," says Holland. "His approval rating has also reached 50% in the suburbs."

Looking ahead to November, the poll indicates that the president's re-election chances are on the rise. In hypothetical matchups among registered voters, Obama holds a 51%-46% margin over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, leads both former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas by the same 52%-45% advantage, and beats former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 55%-42%.

The president appears to have gained ground since January against Romney, Paul, and Gingrich. Only Santorum has held steady. The poll also indicates that Obama wins a majority of independent voters in all four general election match-ups.

"More than six in ten Americans believe that the policies of Romney and Gingrich favor the rich; Santorum and Paul do better on that measure, but only a quarter feel that way about Obama," says Holland.

The survey suggests that the contentious Republican primary season has decreased enthusiasm among Republican voters, virtually erasing the "enthusiasm gap" that promised to provide the ultimate GOP presidential nominee with a major advantage in the fall. In October, 64% of Republicans said that they were extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for president, compared to only 43% of Democratic voters. GOP enthusiasm since that time has tumbled 13 points, to 51%, virtually the same as the Democrats' level of enthusiasm.

Other findings in the poll: 67% of the public says they are either very or somewhat angry about the way things are going in the country, down five points from September. And 31% approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, with 22% giving congressional Republicans a thumbs up. Both numbers are virtually unchanged from last autumn.
The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International from February 10-13, with 1,026 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

soundoff(429 Responses)

David

People who think Obama is doing a "good job" are either blind or stupid. Maybe Obama will campaign on promising everything for everyone even though our country is flat broke, and maybe he'll win, but that doesn't mean he's doing a good job. (taxing the rich will only pay for about 8% of the debt) We need new bold leadership that will have the courage to cut the government down to its proper size. That man isn't Obama.

February 15, 2012 05:51 pm at 5:51 pm |

floyd hoover

I can tell you how to improve the economy, which is what almost everyone wants – It's simple – let the oil companys reduce the price of gasoline to the point where they only make a profit ot say 20% instead of the astronomical profits made now – And the greedy landlords as well and the economy would automatically fix itself.
Wouldn't hurt to impose sanctions on companys that pay slave wages overseas and unsafe working conditions and not allow their products onshore.

February 15, 2012 05:51 pm at 5:51 pm |

TheMovieFan

Although good news, it is only mid-February.

February 15, 2012 05:53 pm at 5:53 pm |

sf

Marcus

A *simple* (and I do mean simple) majority of Americans made the mistake of electing this man to his current position in 2008, and I haven't noticed waves of people suddenly getting smarter over the past four years. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets re-elected.